10 songs for your New Year’s Resolutions playlist

Happy 2013, ANDPOP readers! I have no doubt that more than a few of you made resolutions regarding the person you hope to be in 2013: A better athlete, a A+ student, a better eater, a professional One Direction stalker. This playlist is made up of my personal resolutions and the songs I will use to force myself to stick with them until 2014 (or at least until February). I hope they inspire you too!

In 2012 I almost completely overhauled my wardrobe which, unfortunately for my bank account, was not free. This habit quickly became a shopping addiction as I bought so many things I didn’t need (Dharma Initiative necklace, anyone?). This song reminds me that pleasure need not lie in the swipe of my credit card but can be found in nice everyday things. Perfect for: Either convincing yourself to stop shopping or convincing yourself to buy more things because it’s not about the price tag.

2) Eat better: “The Other Side of Mt. Heart Attack” – Liars

I’m adding this song more for the title than anything else. This track has come up on my iPod on more than one occasion after a binge at McDonald’s and never fails to make me want to reach for the nearest piece of celery. If you need to be shamed into picking up some real grapes instead of grape flavoured candy than this is the song for you. Perfect for: Reminding you of the consequences of getting a breakfast sandwich with sausage AND bacon (see also: “Fat Bottomed Girls” – Queen).

3) Spend less time on social media: “Outside Inside” – The Streets

I can easily say that in 2012 my love of Twitter developed into an addiction. It’s the first thing I check in the morning and the last thing I check before I got to bed. It’s my goal in the new year to curb this habit before my iPhone Claw becomes a permanent affliction (I already have a serious case of texting thumb), and to stop spending three plus hours looking at gifs on Tumblr. This track on Mike Skinner’s final album reminds us that while all the info about outside is available on the Internet, it’s important to actually go outside and experience it once and while.

4) Read more: “Origin of Love” – Hedwig and the Angry Inch

I used to be a huge bookworm when I was younger, but due to school, work, and the distraction of the Internet, reading has petered off in the last few years. I tried to read more last year but I started way more books than I actually finished. This year, I’m hoping I can get through 30 books, because I really believe people are their best selves when they read a lot (unless they’re reading that Fifty Shades nonsense, in which case I urge them to stop forever). This song is kind of old, but it comes from a film that I studied in my first year English class, so it has always inspired me to pick up a book. Also, the song itself follows a narrative and feels almost literary, so it should get those bookish juices flowing.

5) Procrastinate less: “Breakin’ A Sweat (The Doors)” – Skrillex

I’m kind of a lazy person and I will take any opportunity to watch TV all day. This usually means pushing all my work back to the latest possible date, which results in painful, endless hours of catch-up. Since I really want to have fewer heart attacks in 2013, I decided (after my final done-at-the-last-minute essay last semester) that I was going to attempt to do some of my work ahead of time. In this song Skrillex sings “come on baby, light my fire,” which is the lyric I hope will inspire me to get my ass in gear when I have work to do. Perfect for: ending procrastinating even though you have been trying to stop doing it since the age of 11.

6) Get over relationship drama – “Ashes” – Embrace

2012 was a messy year for me, boy wise, and I feel like there was also a lot of relationship drama with other people out there too. It seemed like 2012 was a messier year than normal. It sucked, and in 2013 I resolve to let it go and stop obsessing. The driving chorus of this song will encourage anyone to leave behind those who have hurt them and to rise, fabulously, into a better person.

7) Wake up on time: “Sleepyhead” – Passion Pit

As was previously mentioned, I’m pretty lazy and I absolutely love to sleep. I’m the queen of turning “just 10 more minutes” into three more hours of sleep, which means I’m almost perpetually in a rush. It’s pretty annoying (but the extra hours of sleep are pretty cool). This is such a massive tune, you would have to be in a coma for it to not get you out of bed and moving. The lyrics may encourage you to get back into bed (at least I think that’s what they’re saying) but the great beat will certainly have you up and ready for those 9 am classes. At least I hope they will.

8) Be grateful: “Shiny Things” – Fanfarlo

Moving back to my shopping addiction, 2012 was a year that I became pretty obsessed with my own material things. I found myself saying “I want…” almost every day. It became pretty exhausting, actually, to never be satisfied with the stuff that I just bought, so this year I want to end this truly unattractive personality trait. In this song, Fanfarlo reminds us to just relax and not worry about material goods. We should just lay back and be happy that we have the time to do so. Perfect for: being happy with all the shiny things you got and sale and telling yourself that you don’t need more.

9) Chill: “Young Blood (Renholder Remix)” – The Naked and Famous

Okay, I know this seems very general and non-specific. I mean, how can I resolve to chill? Do I want to spend the entire year relaxing? The answer to that is both yes and no; I don’t want to spend all of 2013 lazing around but I do want to relax and be less obsessive about things. I can take myself from zero to panic attack in like 10 minutes and this is something I want to avoid in the new year. This song is super relaxing and I hope that it will remind me to do my yoga breathing when I get cut off by irritating old people on the subway. Perfect for: Not gnashing your teeth together in frustration.

10: Be joyful: “We Are Golden” – Mika

A wise person (and by wise person I mean a post-it note I saw in the Eaton’s Centre) once told me you shouldn’t just pursue happiness, you should try to create it. This is something I really want to work on in 2013. I feel like if I take each day with a fairly optimistic view I will be happier in the long run. This song has always made me feel like I’m at my happiest. It’s basically about idiot teenagers being happy despite all of their flaws. Maybe not the most intelligent sentiment, but definitely an uplifting one. Perfect for: making your day feel special even though you ventured no further than the fridge.